1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink, an ink cartridge containing the ink, and an image-recording method in which the ink is used.
2. Description of the Related Art
In known image-recording methods, inks that contain a pigment dispersed with a polymer dispersant (hereinafter referred to as a “polymer-dispersed pigment”) as a coloring material are used to improve the scratch resistance of images. Although inks that contain a polymer-dispersed pigment can produce images having relatively high scratch resistance, the images have low optical densities. It is proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-226827 that the optical density of images can be improved by decreasing the water content of an ink containing a polymer-dispersed pigment to promote water evaporation and thereby accelerating aggregation of the pigment on a recording sheet. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-226827 describes inks that contain a polymer-dispersed pigment and various organic solvents, such as a wetting agent and a penetrant.